5 Tips For a Successful Outdoor Wedding

Five Tips for a Successful Outdoor Wedding

By Kimberly Bissell

If you are planning an outdoor wedding, this can make for a beautiful reception, photo opportunities, and a more free environment for your guests to celebrate with you. With that, there are some outdoor limitations that can be met with simple precautions. Here are five tips to help plan a successful outdoor wedding.

Options for Shade

If your reception will be in the middle of the day, having shade for guests is important. If there aren’t structures or an indoor space where guests can cool off, it is a good idea to incorporate shade into your event. This can be with canopies, umbrellas, or tents. As long as there are a few shade options for folks to sit down and get out of the sun, this should be enough to keep everyone happy.

Don’t Forget About Bathrooms

If your outdoor wedding location is remote or in a park that has limited bathrooms, it might be a good idea to bring in some additional accommodations. Portable toilets run the gamut these days and high-end options are available if you would like something more classy for your wedding. If you do opt for a more standard portable toilet option, you can dress this up. Spruce up your restroom space with a tent and bring along items such as a table and a mirror to turn this into a makeshift powder room.

A Plan for Rain

While you may have scoured over weather patterns and picked the perfect weekend that never sees rain, it still might rain on your big day. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by not having a backup reception plan that can be moved to an indoor space if needed. If you can pick a venue that has an indoor reception area or home, this can be a possible a backup. Large, sturdy tents are always an option and people can have cover if there is rain in the forecast.

Optimize Photo Times

Depending on the time of your wedding reception, keep in mind scheduling the best time of day for photos when it comes to lighting. If your photographer can see the space ahead of time, they can better incorporate the natural setting into your photos. They can recommend photo opportunities before, during, and after the wedding and ensure that you use the natural light as an asset and not a hindrance.

Flip Flops for Ladies

If your event will be on grass, your girls will try their best to keep heels on during your ceremony. This can get tough through the night, especially if there will be dancing and a lot of coming and going on grassy areas. Help folks out by offering a basket of flip flops so that ladies can have a shoe change during the event and keep their feet comfy and shoes damage-free.

Making sure your wedding guests are comfortable in an outdoor setting should be a priority. Be sure to work with the event space and inquire about common additions or precautions that other receptions have put into place to ensure a seamless event. If you can have your outdoor wedding space completely planned out ahead of time, there won’t be any surprises you can’t deal with on your big day.